Avatar: Legend of Umikei - Book 1: Water
by FanWriterWill
Summary: The story of the waterbender Umikei, and his journey to master his element.
1. Chapter 1: Journeys Taken

Ba Sing Se; the greatest city in all of the Earth Kingdom, arguably in the entire world, and home of the Earth King Kuei. The city is famous for its reputation as the 'impenetrable city' and its beautiful architecture. It is also where this story begins, in the Upper Ring of the great city. We begin with a 15 year old boy named Umikei, shopping in the markets for groceries. He had lived in the Upper Ring with his father for all of his life and knew little of the life outside of Ba Sing Se. The Upper Ring was protected by a group of elite earthbenders called the Dai Li; Umikei never really felt comfortable around them. There was something about them, something… wrong. His father was an Earth Kingdom military General, and a respected earthbending master. Umikei was expected to live up to his father's legacy, but there was one problem: he wasn't an earthbender; in fact, he wasn't a bender at all! Umikei was horribly ashamed of his lack of bending, and was always picked on by the other kids because of it. His father had tried everything he had learnt to unlock any form of earthbending, but it simply wasn't there!

Umikei was buying fruit and vegetables from a stall near a large lake when he heard some voices behind him:

"Oh, hey guys! Look: it's Umikei!" one voice said. Umikei sighed and turned around. Standing there were the four earthbending students who picked on him the most. They knew he was defenceless if they used earthbending, and used that to their advantage. Umikei stayed silent, and just continued his shopping, keeping an eye of them just in case.

"So he's ignoring us now? How mature! Well, maybe I can get his attention." One boy said, bending a large pebble at Umikei. He gracefully dodged it, and continued shopping. That was the one odd thing about Umikei: unlike the earthbenders and the Earth Kingdom in general, who were slow and steady in their fighting, he was much more graceful and agile. His balance and fluidity was his greatest weapon and possibly his only real skill. The boys were a little ticked off by his obliviousness, but kept up their 'assault' all the same.

"Umikei thinks he's being clever, huh? Maybe we should knock that out of him."

"Maybe I should knock you guys out first!" Umikei turned around and saw a welcome sight. It was his childhood friend Ila, an accomplished warrior and an amazing person to have in a fight. Ila became a warrior while Umikei was forced to just, exist.

"Maybe you guys should back off from my friend; before I _make_ you." The boys looked uncomfortable, but weren't going to yield to a girl.

"Oh, Ila. We're just having a bit of fun! Besides, it's only Umikei. He's just a disappointment, and a failure. I bet his parents don't even-"

"ENOUGH!" Umikei screamed. The boys fell silent. It wasn't out of fear of Umikei, but of the lake nearby. It was almost always still, but was now rippling heavily.

"It's OK, Umikei, just calm down!"

"No! Ever since I was old enough to speak you've bullied me, and I'm sick of it!" The lake was now rising and falling, following the movement of Umikei's hands!

"Umi, just stop!" Ila shouted, getting a bit worried.

"They need to be taught a lesson!" Umikei shouted again. Suddenly, as if on instinct, he raised a large amount of water from the lake and bought it crashing down on the boys. He then bought he hands back, and froze the water. The boys were trapped up to their necks, and totally immobilised. Ila just stared in awe; Umikei, the Earth Kingdom boy she'd known for years, had just waterbent in front of her eyes!

Umikei stared at the boys; at the destruction he had just caused. Stepping back, he ran to his home in the Upper Ring as quickly as his legs would carry him. He reached his home quickly and slammed the door shut, scared of what might happen if people found out. Umikei wasn't thinking straight; waterbending was welcomed in Ba Sing Se, and he'd most likely be welcomed! He ran to his bedroom and lay on his bed silently, pondering what he should do with this. He controlled the lake, controlled the water. He was a waterbender, no doubt about it, but the question was: what now? Was he going to just forget about it? No, he couldn't. He just couldn't! He'd spent his whole life in the shadow of his peers because he couldn't bend, but now he could, so he had to use this power! Umikei stepped off his bed slowly, careful to check if anyone was home. Noticing the house was empty, he stepped out to his back garden, where a small pond was situated. He stared at the water, not knowing what he was supposed to do. At the lake it was instinct and anger that let him waterbend, but now that he was thinking about it he had no idea was to do! He thought back to when waterbenders were last in town. They were masters, but he saw them practicing some simple movements whilst training. The simplest was just a bit of manipulation, pushing and pulling the water in turn. Umikei took a steady stance, not strong and low like earthbending, graceful and calm instead. It came easy, and it felt right. He looked back at the water, and began to push his arms back and forth, remaining calm and elegant as he went along. At first, he felt nothing but then, there was something there; just a little feeling, like a bubble deep in his body. As he continued to motion, and concentrated on the pond, the feeling grew until it was more than just a bubble. It became like a river, flowing through his body and connecting his chi; slowly, but surely, the water began to move; flowing forwards and backwards. Umikei laughed and continued to move the water. Feeling a burst of confidence, he motioned upwards and lifted some water out from the pond. He pulled it towards himself and held it there. The large ball of water rippled and moved in his grasp. Gracefully moving his arms, Umikei moved the water around his body, behind him, in front of him and around him, before accidentally dropping it. It seems he has a lot to learn still.

"So you found out, huh?"

Umikei spun around and saw his father standing in the doorway. He looked solemn, and leant against the doorway sadly.

"Yeah! Dad, I'm a waterbender! Aren't you proud?" Umikei asked. His father sighed and stepped down towards Umikei.

"Umikei, there's something I've got to tell you. Something I've put off for too long." Umikei was led to the bench by his house's pond, and sat down next to his father.

"Umikei. You weren't born in the Earth Kingdom." He said sadly.

"Wh-what? What do you mean?!"

"I came back from a shift on guard 15 years ago. It was pretty late at night, and I found something on my doorstep. A baby wrapped in sheets; it was you." Umikei looked back at the pond as a slight tear left his eye.

"I'm not your son?"

"No, you're not." Umikei's father put an arm around him "I'm sorry Umi."

"Wh-where did I come from, then?"

"I found you wrapped in Northern Water Tribe sheets, with this scroll." He pulled out a large waterbending scroll. It looked expensive and detailed complex and graceful moves.

"I'm from the Northern Water Tribe?" Umikei said to himself. After a while in silence, Umikei stood up.

"I have to go back. I have to go home" he said loudly

A day had passed and Umikei was packed and ready to leave for the North Pole. He had enough supplies for a week, and more than enough money for extra. His father had made him a large water skin which he filled with the water from his pond. As Umikei left home, his father said goodbye:

"Remember to light a fire when you camp, alright? And stay away from Fire Nation troops and towns, OK?"

"Dad, I'll be alright!" Umikei said for the hundredth time. They hugged one last time as Umikei left home for good. Umikei slowly walked to the monorail station in the Upper Ring. The large building was usually a picture of beauty, but it was suddenly a picture of melancholy instead. Umikei had never left Ba Sing Se before, but now he was suddenly leaving the Earth Kingdom altogether! Umikei sat down and waited for the monorail patiently, all the while making plans and promises. He had to travel west, and find a port that would take him north to the Water Tribe. He didn't know how long it would take to reach a port, but he was sure he'd get there eventually; and hopefully without meeting the Fire Nation along the way. As Umikei contemplated this, and loud voice spoke out:

"Last train to the Outer Wall! All aboard for the Outer Wall!" Umikei took a deep breath and boarded the carriage, sitting down with a bump. As the train travelled along the track, Umikei watched the landscape fly by quickly. A tear left his eye as his city slowly disappeared, but was interrupted:

"You didn't think you could leave without me, did you?" Umikei turned around and saw Ila, standing there with a full bag packed and her sword in hand.

"Ila!" Umikei cried, jumping up and hugging her "What are you doing here?!"

"I couldn't let you leave Ba Sing Se on your own, could I? You can barely defend yourself, and with the Fire Nation about-"

"I'm a waterbender now, I can look after myself." Umikei said defiantly

"You've been one for a couple of days, hardly a master. You need me Umi, and I'm coming whether you like it or not" Umikei paused, and then replied:

"I wouldn't have it any other way"

The monorail stopped at the Outer Wall of the grand city and Umikei and Ila got off at the station. The security was very tight and they had a job getting out of the city, but eventually they did. Umikei had never seen the outside of the city, but Ila had already been outside and was therefore unfazed by the landscape that Umikei admired so greatly.

"I-It's so… big!" Umikei said in awe

"It's the Earth Kingdom, what did you expect?" Ila answered nonchalantly

"How on earth are we going to get to the North Pole from here?"

"By walking of course!" Ila cried, punching Umikei on the shoulder "Come on Umi, we've got some walking to do." The two friends settled their packs and began walking, making their way west to the Northern Ports.


	2. Chapter 2: People Saved

Umikei and Ila had set up camp late in the afternoon after a hard day travelling. They were surprisingly exhausted, and made camp near a large lake. The earlier stop was so that Umikei could practice some waterbending, and have a look at that scroll he was given. Some of the moves looked fairly advanced, so he wanted to try something slightly easier first. Waterbenders have the ability to change water's state, and can therefore take water from many places one might not expect. Although taking water from strange places was a little out of his league, he wanted to try changing water's state anyway. He'd spent a lot of time manipulating water at home, and could move reasonable amounts of water with ease. He bended a small amount of water from the lake and concentrated on it. He concentrated on the feel of the water, its form and its state. Taking in his power, he slowly but surely froze the water, creating a ball of ice. Umikei laughed as he spun the ball around

"Look, Ila! I did it! I froze the water!" he shouted happily. Ila was lying on a rock whilst tossing her sword about. She sat up and watched him bend the newly frozen water

"Brilliant! But have you used it?"

"What do you mean?"

"Have you used it? You know, in combat?" she asked

"Um, no, I haven't. I haven't really thought about it"

"Well, then; let's give it a shot!" she said confidently

"What? You mean now?!" Umikei asked hesitantly "I-I don't know how to fight!"

"Well, now's a time to learn" Ila replied jumping down from the rock. She breathed deeply and pulled herself into a fighting stance, sword at the ready. "Now, hit me." Umikei uncertainly pulled a large amount of water from the lake, and sent it at Ila. She easily dodged it, and frowned. "Come on, is that the best you can do?!" Spurred on, Umikei tried a different approach; he sent a stream of water along the floor and froze it along the way. Ila back flipped away from the stream and onto the rock, frowning again.

"This isn't working; you're not going to be able to fight anyone like this. Have you had a look at the scroll you're dad gave you?" Umikei pulled out the scroll and had a look at it

"No, I haven't had the chance to." He unrolled the scroll and had a look at the moves displayed. The first one seemed to portray a whip or a lash; it seemed simple enough, so Umikei placed it on a rock near the lake and began practicing.

Umikei was having trouble performing the whip. For some reason, all his attempts either backfired or failed altogether. He'd no real knowledge of waterbending up until now, and had an Earth Kingdom mind set; transitioning to a waterbender wasn't going to be easy. He was still stiff and tough, whereas he needed to fluid and light. He didn't know that though, and hadn't someone to tell him so.

"Why?! Can't?! I?! Get?! This?! Right?!" he shouted throwing his water away in rage. Ila quickly sat up, she had been napping for most of the day and was woken quickly by his shouting

"Why don't you take a break and get some rest, huh? You can learn anything when you're tired, and you haven't even eaten yet!" she replied whilst stretching

"No eating until I've mastered this move!"

"You're not going to master it in a day, and you've only just started! Just get a bite to eat and get back to it later." Umikei sighed and slumped back to the campfire. Ila had set up camp and got a fire going (something she demanded he'd make up for) and got some of the supplies prepared for the dinner.

"Umi, do you mind getting me some water for the fire?" Ila asked. She had deliberately left the water, letting her little Umi show off his new waterbending.

"Sure!" Umikei took a deep breath and pulled some water from the lake. He'd never moved water to such a small place, and struggled with it slightly. As he bought the water into the pot, it began to ripple and struggle against his control. Eventually, he dropped the water… onto the fire.

"UMI!" Ila screamed

After restarting the fire and eating dinner (and surviving Ila's wrath), Umikei went back to practicing. As he did so Ila went to exploring some of the area. They were near a forest, and Ila had been forbidden by Umi to go in. He was busy practicing though, so she ducked into the forest to have a look and what there was. After sifting through sights of cute animals and dark caves, Ila came upon a dreaded sight: a Fire nation patrol. Four of them, firebenders it seemed, and they were just standing there as if they were waiting; but for what? Ila gasped as someone grabbed her from behind

"Hello, little girl." The man said. He was clearly the captain, and was clearly ambushing her

"OK, five firebenders…" she said sarcastically. The captain pushed her to the ground, directly into the middle of the clearing where the firebenders were. They made firebending stances, and there was no way out. Ila readied her sword anyway, almost for self-esteem, and kept an eye on them.

"Why do you bother, you're trapped little girl" the captain said smugly

"Don't call me a little girl!" Ila snapped back

"Yes you are, and you're all alone."

"Not all alone!"

The firebenders spun around to see a teenager dressed in Earth Kingdom clothes, bending some water by his side.

"Umi! You're late!" Ila shouted

"Sorry, Ila. Won't happen again!" Umikei said

"What's this? A waterbender dressed in Earth Kingdom outfitting? How strange…"

"You got that right, but it doesn't change anything. You're going to regret touching Ila." Umikei got himself into a more stable form and prepared for a fight. The firebending captain smiled grinned confidently and bended some fire around himself.

"_Ok, Umi; just keep an eye on him."_ Umikei thought to himself. The firebender set a stream of fire straight at Umikei, who deftly dodged it and returned a shot of the water. The firebender braced himself against the water, but was pushed back anyway. His subordinates readied themselves to join in, but the captain stopped them; he wanted Umikei to himself. Ila took this moment of distraction to strike, easily incapacitating two of her guards. The remaining two spun around and attacked her with firebending. She dodged them both and attacked one of the benders, knocking him out with her sword hilt. His ally pulled out his own sword, brandishing it menacingly, as Ila smiled. The firebending captain continued his attacks on Umikei, who was becoming tired dodging his relentless attacks. He wasn't a fighter, and was losing his speed. Umikei knew this, and that he had to end the fight quickly otherwise he wouldn't be the one ending it. Umikei dodged another one of the captain's attacks and fell back as another was sent. Reaching desperation, Umikei bent his water and sent it towards the captain. To his shock and delight, the water formed a whip, and lashed out at the captain.

"Umi! You did it!" Ila shouted. Umikei smiled and continued his assault, whipping the captain until he was on his knees. He then bent a large amount of water around his body and froze it, incapacitating him totally. Umikei fell to the ground, exhausted. He'd never taken part in a fight before, and especially not with firebenders. Ila quickly dispatched the bender and then checked that all the men were down, and then went over to Umi. He looked tired, _very _tired. She'd forgotten that her little Umi had never seen a fight, after all he just took out a firebending captain all on his own. She always had to look out for him when they were in Ba Sing Se, but it seemed that was about to change.

Ila dragged the unconscious Umikei to their campsite. It was evening now, and they both needed some rest. Umikei slowly came around, and sat up.

"How did I do?" he said slowly. Ila giggled slightly, and then spoke:

"You did great, Umi" she said quietly, she then went back to her fire "You did great." Umikei watched her for a few seconds, and then lay his head down to rest. As she heard him fall asleep, Ila turned around to check if he was definitely asleep. She sighed worryingly; they had to get to the North Pole, but had no idea how to get there, or if they even could! They couldn't _walk_ to the North Pole, especially with the Fire Nation breathing down their necks the whole time. Ila looked over to her sword, and to the scroll; would it be enough? Ila put her worries to rest for a while; she couldn't let Umi lose hope, to lose his drive. He'd spent his whole life ridiculed for not being a bender, for not living for to his father's legacy, and now he finally could. It was his chance to make his father proud, or at least make _himself_ proud. She lay down on her sleeping mat and watched the stars for a moment, before closing her eyes.

"Good night, Umi."

Ila was awoken by an excited Umi.

"C'mon Ila! We need to get up early if we're going to get to the North Pole before Summer!" he cried happily. Ila promptly slapped Umi for waking her up so early, and then grumpily woke herself up. It was about an hour after dawn and _no one_ is awake at this time.

"Umi! Are you insane?! It's basically dawn!" she snapped

"Exactly! Now we can get an even better start of getting to the Northern Water Tribe!"

"Umi. We're getting to the North Pole, I promise, but we'll get there in our own time!" Ila sighed whilst packing up her sleeping bag "Look, I know you're excited - really, I do – but we need rest if we're going to get to the North Pole at all." Umi paused, and slouched a little

"You're right… You always are…" he said sadly. Umi sighed and leant on a nearby rock. Ila placed her hand on his shoulder

"We'll get there. I promise." Umi smiled and sat back up.

"OK, let's get going."

Umikei and Ila continued travelling west, only stopping every once in a while to drink and eat. The landscape was mostly country or rock formations, and there weren't many settlements. Umikei wondered if there _were _any around the Earth Kingdom. All he ever knew was of Ba Sing Se and its walls, and even then that wasn't much. Ila had much more knowledge of the surrounding world, and had visited some of it; or a least, that's what she told everyone. Umikei shook some of his coins around, and spoke to Ila:

"I don't think we'll ever be able to use these. There hasn't been a town or city in miles!" he laughed

"We're still pretty close to Ba Sing Se, remember? Be patient, we'll find a town soon!" she confirmed confidently. They continued walking onward, and almost as if by magic a small town formed in the distance.

"Well what do you know! I guess you were right!" Umikei said happily

"Well, yeah, but I didn't think it would be so soon!" Ila said, slightly bemused. They quickened their pace and arrived in the town.

It was a quaint little place, with little to behold or of any notice. The people were friendly and warm-welcoming, and greeted the two travellers happily. Umikei and Ila spent a while shopping and replenishing supplies, and eventually decided on spending the night there. The village was named Kueiville, which Umikei spent no time pulling apart.

"Kueiville?! Are you serious?!" he said in awe

"Yes, of course!" a passer-by said

"Kueiville. As in _Kuei_ville, the Earth King?"

"Yes! Kuei is our great and illustrious leader, and we named our village from him in respect!" Ila almost literally pulled Umikei away before he went for the passer by, and scolded him for it.

"Umi! You can't moan at people because of how they named their village!" she said angrily "We're not getting a hotel room if you keep this up!"

"OK, OK!" he snapped. They both laughed and continued their search, eventually settling on a small hotel in the north of the village. They bought a room and settled down, leaving their things in favour of exploring the town a little. Kueiville was hardly a tourist destination, with little shops and little attractions. Umikei and Ila had a look anyway, thinking that maybe they'd find something they needed. The market mostly sold groceries and pottery, with the occasional import from around the Earth Kingdom, and sadly nothing of real interest. The only thing that caught their eye was a weapons shop, which Ila immediately fell in love with.

Umikei turned to speak to Ila, and instead saw her drooling over an antique sword.

"Umi! Look at this! It's beautiful!" she said loudly

"Yes, it is, but we can't afford it, OK? We need money for food and proper supplies, not antiquities." Umikei answered calmly

"But I _am_ a swordfighter, and I need the best weapons if I'm going to protect you!" Ila set, clasping her hands as if begging "Please, please, please, please, please!" she begged

"No! Now let's go!" Umikei practically dragged her from the store, as she moaned and cried. She spent the majority of the day in a strop because of it, and was giving Umikei the silent treatment in protest.

"Are you speaking yet?" Umikei said, toying with her. She replied by crossing her arms and huffing "You're going to have to speak eventually, you know. You can't play a tantrum forever!" She still continued her strike, turning her head away as well. Umikei smirked and continued walking. All was well and good until the town was attacked…

Umikei and Ila were returning to their hotel room when they saw a group of people running past. They looked terrified, and were constantly looking back and stumbling. Umikei caught one and spoke:

"What's happening? Why are you running?" The villager was breathing heavily and in a cold sweat

"The-the Fire Nation! They're here!" Umikei let the villager go and looked towards the gate. There were five firebenders there, burning the buildings as they went. Ila gasped

"It's him! The captain from the forest!" she said in shock. It seemed they had come back for revenge, or maybe this was just pure coincidence! Whether it was the latter or not, they weren't going to let them get away with it.

"C'mon Umi! We've got to help the townspeople." She cried, grabbing his arm and pulling him to the firebenders.

"So, it's the little girl and his waterbender sidekick." The captain said mockingly; he bore a cut over his eye, a memory of his fight with Umikei.

"Sidekick?! Are you kidding me?!" Umikei shouted as Ila giggled. Angrily, Umikei bent a large amount of water from a nearby well, and split it, knocking off two of the firebenders. He then froze the water, already knocking out them out. The captain looked worried, but quickly drove out his fear and ran, attempting to lose himself in the town.

"Ila, go after him. I'll take care of these two, go!" Umikei shouted, bending some water in front of him

"Sure thing, Umi!" Ila replied, pulling out her sword and following him. Umikei watched her leave, and then moved his attention onto the firebenders. They both bended fire, and sent it flying towards Umikei. He quickly raised a shield of water to block it, and returned a torrent of water. They both flipped out of the way, clearly learning from the last fight. They both lashed out of kick, shooting a single line of fire in Umikei's direction. Umikei ducked whilst lifting his water above himself, blocking the heat and some of the fire. He hit the ground hard, and was slightly winded as a result.

"_They've gotten better. I need to keep my guard up if I'm going to stand a chance!" _Umikei thought. He pushed himself back up and created another shield. His waterbending was still very basic, so creating a shield and _then_ attacking is his only real tactic at the moment. The parade of fire continued, and his agile dodging and blocking was working well. He was realising that it wasn't doing any damage, and that he needed to do something quickly. An idea suddenly appeared in his head; firebenders struggled firebending when cold or wet, and a waterbender could use that to their advantage. He dodged another attack and then bent a large amount of water above the firebenders, he concentrated hard, and turned the water into snow. He dropped it on the firebenders and then condensed it around their ankles. Umikei took this time to strike, running towards the firebenders and quickly punching one of them. He reeled back in pain, forgetting it was metal helmets. Instead, he shot a blast of water at them, creating the equivalent force of a right hook. The firebenders fell to the ground as Umikei released control of the water. He relaxed and caught his breath, before running after Ila.

Ila met the captain in the town centre, and readied her sword. Firebenders may be evil, but they've a shocking sense of honour, which often puts them at a disadvantage. He'd refuse to let his 'honour' be damaged by defeating a non-bender girl with bending. He pulled out his dao sword, and readied a fighting stance. They circled each other menacingly, waiting for someone to strike. The captain was bored of waiting, and rushed at her. Ila blocked his strike, and butted him with her sword hilt. He stumbled back, but regained his composure quickly. It was Ila's turn to strike now, and she did so mercilessly. The captain hadn't expected a little girl to be such a strong fighter, and was shocked by her attacks. He was knocked to the floor, and Ila pointed her sword at his neck to signify his loss.

"It's over. The little girl won." As Ila was about to finish him off, a chunk of ice did it for her. Ila spun around to see Umi throwing a rock about.

"Hey Ila, am I late?" he said. Ila grinned, and sheathed her sword.

"You could of left him for me. Now I have to say that _you_ knocked him out!" she laughed. The two friends returned to their hotel for a round of applause. They awkwardly accepted their thanks, and ran up to their room quickly. They quickly fell asleep, exhausted by the events of the day.


	3. Chapter 3: Friends Made

Umikei and Ila quickly packed up their things and left Kueiville. They were given a pretty warm send off and some supplies from a few of the locals. Shouldering their packs, the two travellers left the small town and continued west. Ila spent the majority of her time travelling practicing her sword, which both sped her up and slowed her down in some instances.

"Ila, will you quit it?! You're going to slice someone's head off!" Umikei said, dodging a swipe of her sword for the fifth time

"Well, that's kind of the plan, isn't it?" she replied between movements of her sword "I'm not going to be able to fight off the Fire Nation much more if I don't practice."

"I get that, but you're going to cut my head off!" Umikei cried, ducking under another swipe

"Then move away!"

"I've got to look after you, haven't I?" Umikei laughed

"I don't need looking after!" Ila said, this time swiping a Umikei _oh so_ intentionally

"Hey!"

Umikei had spent a good while of the journey having a look at the waterbending scroll he was given by his father. After figuring out the water whip, he had a look at some of the harder stuff; one of which was a form of 'sneak attack', as Ila called it. It involved sending a stream of water _through_ the ground, and then releasing either underneath, in front of or behind the opponent, therefore letting your choose what to do with them. In the hands of a master, it could be a deadly weapon; in the hands of Umikei, a fun trick. Umikei had been dying to try it out since he read about it, since he hadn't _actually_ given it a go yet; he didn't even know if he could pull it off! Once he had avoided Ila's strikes and gotten her to stop, they set down their things and gave Umikei the chance to try the move. They set up a little practice dummy, of sorts, and found Umikei a source of water: a small pond nearby. The practice dummy was built by Ila, and she was immensely proud of it. Even while Umikei was trying the move, Ila was brushing up the dummy here and there.

"Ila, it's a dummy. Now, let me try the move!"

"Yes, yes; just brushing him off" she shushed, fixing his little hat and brushing off his coat.

"Him? Oh, dear lord…" Umikei sighed. He decided he was bored of waiting and simply whipped her out of the way, which earned him a ferocious glare. Umikei snickered and prepared himself for the move. He pulled some water out from the pond and, following the movements detailed, bent it into the ground. What he felt was extraordinary; being a waterbender, he can 'feel' the water, which essentially allows him to bend. While controlling the water he just placed in the earth, he could 'feel' the earth! It seemed his connection to the water was travelling through the moisture in the earth, allowing him to 'see' the earth. He knew where Ila was, where he was _and _where the dummy was. He was enjoying himself so much, he forgot about the water itself and lost control, losing his connection with the earth.

"Why did you stop?" Ila said

"I lost control of it." Umikei said slightly fazed. He'd thought before that only earthbenders could feel the earth, but this… this was different.

Umikei one again placed the water into the earth, and after learning the dummy's location he moved the water behind him. He quickly pulled the water out of the ground in a thin spurt, knocking the head off and sending it flying. Ila gasped and ran to the head

"Mr Dummy!" she shouted

"You… called him Mr Dummy?" Umikei laughed. Ila glared at him, and replaced the head on the dummy. Umikei tried many different tactics; freezing, pulling the dummy to the floor and blasting the dummy away altogether. Umikei got a burst of confidence with each success, and Ila got slightly more soaked. Eventually she got up, and after rinsing her hair she spoke:

"That's it! You've done enough!" she said angrily. Umikei struggled as Ila pulled him away and sighed as she threw his pack to him.

"Stupid Ila… ruining everything…" Umikei mumbled to himself. Ila smiled to herself, but didn't reply.

Umi and Ila had been travelling for hours, but hadn't made a lot of progress. Kueiville could still be seen from up high, and the evening was getting close. Ila stood on top of a rock and spoke:

"We're not making enough progress." She sighed, looking back to Umi who was lagging behind "By this rate we won't make it to the North Pole by summer…"

"We have to Ila!" Umi replied "Trust me, we'll make it!" Ila slouched; Umi really wanted to get to the Northern Water Tribe, but it wasn't going to happen; at least, not on foot

"We need to find transport; some way to get to a port up North."

"From where?" Umi asked. Ila pulled open the Earth Kingdom map she bought with her

"Here. There's a large trading hub centred in this town, and I'm sure we can find a way up North from there."

The journey to the town was uneventful, with only the passing bird and conversation to break the silence. Soon enough, their destination came into site. It was a large port and a market town, littered with shops small and large. The residents were friendly and business-minded, and many were fishermen or travellers. Ila and Umikei made their way down to the town and looked for their manner of transport. Navigating was pretty hard in the town, since almost every part of the town was filled with the same looking shops. Market people were heckling them to buy their wares, and many attempted to haggle for the location of transport. Umikei was close to giving up:

"This is useless! We're not getting anything out of these guys." He said as they took a break out on the waterfront. He was fiddling with his water scroll while thinking; somehow it helped him think, as though it actually _would_ help him find transport. They continued on, going further into the town.

An hour later and they had still failed to find transport of any kind. It seemed that there were no travellers, and any there weren't travelling north. Umikei was about to suggest they give up and leave, when they heard a large growl distracting them. It came from a tent that had been set up for a long stay. Umikei felt inclined to see what it was, ignoring Ila's disagreements.

"Umi! Where are you going?!" she cried

"Just into that tent. I want to see what's up."

"Why?! It's probably a platypus bear going for transport!" Umikei had already snuck into the tent, and was long gone. "Great, now I've got to follow him."

Umikei hid behind a large crate and spied a worker walking towards a large crate. He looked around to see if anyone had seen him, and then created a whip from fire!  
"He's a firebender!" Umikei muttered, as Ila joined him. The firebender pulled off the large blanket over the crate, which revealed it as a cage housing a very large animal.

"It's a polar bear dog!" Ila cried as quietly as she could.

"What's a polar bear dog?" Umikei asked, keeping his eye on the bender.

"It's native to the South Pole, but feared and hunted by the locals. They're incredibly strong; I've no idea how they could have caught it!" The firebender created a whip and edged towards the beast; it reared back and roared a loud, fierce roar. The bender whipped him and scolded him:

"Shut it, dog!" he growled "Just a few more hours and you'll be transported to the Fire Nation, to work in the army!" Umikei gasped

"We've got to save it!" he whispered

"Are you mad?! They're Fire Nation, and even if you do free it: no one's ever managed to tame one before; what's makes you think you could?" Ila cried

"I don't know, OK?! It just… it just feels right."

The firebender eventually left the room and allowed Ila and Umikei to pass. They slowly edged towards the large cage and had a look at the cage. It was locked and chained, and the key was probably with the firebender earlier. The polar bear dog growled at the pair, and barked as they got closer. Ila tried to shush the creature, but it wouldn't stop!

"All of the town could hear this! Hurry up and get him out!" Ila cried. Umikei stepped towards the padlock and breathed on it, freezing it quickly. He'd spent a while practising his freezing and had progressed well. Ila then smashed open the lock and pulled off the chain. Within an instant the polar bear dog roared, and burst out of the cage. With a growl, he pounced over the two and fled from the tent.

The dog burst from the tent and immediately crashed into a nearby food stand. The locals screamed and many fled, as the beast continued to run. Ila and Umikei chased after it, narrowly avoiding the many obstacles in their path.

"Nice one, Umi!" Ila shouted, jumping over a fallen log.

"I didn't think he'd go these nuts!" Umikei shouted back, front flipping over a destroyed cabbage stand as a bystander screamed: "My cabbages!" The polar bear dog was still running, and was making a large distance. Umikei bended a large amount of water from a well and bent it into a wall, freezing it. The polar bear dog's path was now blocked by the wall of ice, yet he crashed through it with ease.

"Even that didn't work!" Umikei cried

"What else can we do?!" Ila shouted

"Lead it away from the town, and we'll try and calm it down!"

Ila and Umikei worked together to try and divert the beast's path, leading it into the woods. Doing so, they followed the path of destruction it left and reached a clearing where the polar bear dog stopped. It stared at Umikei and Ila and growled menacingly, as the pair got into a fighting position. Umikei bended his water whip, which seemed to scare the creature. It reared back and yelped, and backed away from the two

"It's the whip! He's scared of the whip! Use it to stop him!" Ila cried. Umikei readied the whip, but instead of using it, he released his control instead. "What are you doing?!" Umikei looked into the creature's eyes, and saw fear. He calmly stepped towards the polar bear dog, who slowly edged back. He raised a hand to the dog, which sniffed it curiously. Umikei turned his hand, and patted the dog's nose. It slowly relaxed and lay down, it's tail wagging happily.

"You-you tamed it?!" Ila said bewildered. Umikei smiled as the polar bear dog licked his hand.

"Yeah, I guess I did…" he said quietly

"What're you going to name him?" Umikei stared into the dog's eyes for a while, before a name came to him:

"Nanuq. I'll name him Nanuq" Umikei decided "It just feels right."


	4. Chapter 4: Lessons Learnt

Umikei, Ila and Nanuq had been travelling for the past few days, and their knew member was helping them to travel much faster. Nanuq was incredibly strong and didn't seem to notice the weight put on his back, so Ila and Umikei gave him their luggage to carry. Nanuq happily plodded along with Ila and Umikei, and rarely paused or needed food. They had settled down for a break near a stream since their supplies had fallen off again. The straps were stretched too far and were therefore breaking often. Ila hastily reattached the packs and looked at the money they had:

"The straps aren't holding up on Nanuq" she said, fastening the packs again "We need to buy him a saddle from as soon as we can" Umikei was practising his waterbending in the stream; he had been trying to use all of his body to bend, as opposed to just his arms, and was making some progress. He back flipped away from the stream and bended the water with his feet; he then froze it, creating a 'speedy shield' as he affectionately named it.

"You're right, but what're the chances of someone being able to make a saddle for a polar bear dog"

"Sure, I can make a saddle for him!" Ila, Umikei and Nanuq had travelled to a nearby town in search of someone to make a saddle. Their search was made incredibly easy, as a well-respected leather worker lived here. Ila smiled happily as he offered his services, and gave him the money he wanted

"How long is this going to take?" she said counting out coins. The worker took a look at Nanuq, who was snoring peacefully in the corner

"As long as he stays here and I'm not interrupted, about a day!" Umikei suddenly sat up and addressed the pair

"A day?! But we've got to get the Water Tribe by Summer!" he exclaimed

"Umi, one day isn't going to hurt!" Ila groaned

"Hey, you're going up North?" the man said in slight awe "What business have you got up there?"

"My friend's a waterbender, and we're going up North to get him a teacher!" Ila replied quickly

"Well that's all well and good for him." he said matter-of-factly "But what about _you_? What are you getting out of this?" Ila hesitated at the question, not actually knowing the answer. She just followed Umi because he was her friend, and that's the thing friend's do; but what _did_ she get from this? Ila thanked the man slowly and left the shop.

Umikei's bending had come along well since they left Ba Sing Se, but he was _far_ from a master. He struggled under pressure, and couldn't keep up with fast, strong attacks from Ila. He therefore relied on distance and defence in his fights, instead of outright attacking. It was obvious that he loved waterbending, and not just because he was able to. He spent hours every day just playing with the water, bending it around when he was bored. Ila both enjoyed and admired the spectacle, noticing how far he'd come without training. He still had long to go though, and couldn't do it alone. They needed to get to the North Pole soon, before Umikei ran out of things to do! Ila looked at Umikei as his tried to make a snowball, and after he failed miserably, she sighed.

"Hey, Ila? What's up?" Umikei asked caringly as his water fell to the floor

"N-nothing" she muttered, looking away

"Hey now, something's up!" Umikei said, jumping in front of her. Ila looked up, and sighed again

"Why am I here, Umi?"

"W-what do you mean?" Umikei said shocked "We're going to the North Pole!"

"No, Umi. _You're_ going to the North Pole; I'm just tagging along…" Umikei stepped back, surprised. He had no idea Ila felt this way; she seemed so happy a while ago!

"Ila, you're here because I want you to be." Ila looked up with tears in her eyes and gasped

"Umi..?"

"Ila. You're my best friend; I've known you since forever! I couldn't think of anyone I'd rather have with me, so don't pull this act!" Umikei shouted with a grin. Ila grinned at Umi, and quickly threw her arms around her. She pulled away and spoke:

"Now, let's get you to the North Pole!"

"Great idea, Ila! But you're forgetting something; Nanuq's still in the shop!" Umikei said quickly "What're we going to do till then?" Ila smiled and looked at the large building behind her

"Oh, I've got an idea."

Umikei shuffled uncomfortably at his cramped desk and glared at Ila and she watched though the window.

"_I'm going to kill you"_ he mouthed at her angrily

"_Good luck!"_ she replied, giving a mocking thumbs up

"_I'm going to feed you to Nanuq feet first and then-"_

"Class!" The class minus Umikei stood to attention as a stern looking woman walked in. Ila had somehow managed to get Umikei stuck in a kid's school in the town and seemed to be enjoying his agony. Umikei looked around and saw the odd looks he was getting from his _much younger_ classmates. The teacher was giving him a look of fury as several of the kids began to murmur to each other.

"And _who_ do we have here?" she set through gritted teeth.

"Umikei" he answered nonchalantly "From Ba Sing Se" The teacher became even more tense and angry

"Umikei, _ma'am" _she corrected

"Yeah, sure, miss" he replied. The teacher, who was a master earthbender, growled slightly and slammed her foot down, lifting Umikei off his chair with a rock pillar. He landed at her feet, and slowly looked up to see her staring down at him

"While you are in my classroom, you will follow my rules."

"Uh, ye-yes miss!" he said in fear. He looked back at Ila, who was having trouble breathing due to her laughter. She wiped away her tears and looked back, receiving daggers in return, which just increased her joy. She quickly hit the floor, pushed down by a torrent of water. She stood up grumpily as her lower body froze. Umikei was now smiling, and returned to his seat.

The class Umikei had been forced into was comprised entirely of earthbenders, and a large part of their studies was on their skill. The children spent their time reading about and performing forms and moves in earthbending. Umikei sat there bored out of his mind, and desperately looked for some entertainment. He surveyed the room, and noticed that everyone, including the teacher, was busy in their study. Grinning, Umikei pulled some water from his pouch and began playing with it. He swished it around his head; under the table; around his body and high above him. Little had he noticed that his antics were slowly attracting the attention of his class. The children slowly looked away from their work and at his bending instead. They watched in awe, as many had never seen any form of waterbending. Umikei continued until a loud voice was heard:

"What's this, a waterbender in my classroom?" Umikei flinched and dropped the water on his lap. The whole class was now staring, including his teacher.

"Um, no… ma'am!" Umikei muttered quickly. The teacher stood up and stepped over to his desk

"No, no, no. I know what I saw" she said with a malicious smile "Unless I didn't see water floating around a student's head" Umikei sank in his seat; her stare seemed to penetrate his very _soul_.

"Well, if you're so talented: why not give us a demonstration?" Umikei gasped and flicked around the room; his classmates' eyes were all on him, so he had no choice.

Meanwhile, Ila was looking around the town for something to do. She managed to convince that head teacher to take Umikei for a day, and hadn't regretted the few coins it cost. She was having a look around the markets for some supplies for their journey. They were short of meats and needed a lot since Nanuq joined the group. Umikei wanted a bigger water skin, and Ila was looking for a sword sharpener. Hers was getting a little too blunt, so she wanted to get it sharpened. She had a look for a weapons shop, and found one south of the town. The owner was an intimidating guy who was never without his blacksmithing tools. Ila fearlessly stepped up to him and introduced herself. He turned around in his apron and glared at her slightly. His large arms threw down the prong and he then spoke to her:

"What do you want, girl? This is no place for someone like you!" he said in his loud, deep voice.

"A girl like me? Well, anyway, I'd like a sharpening stone for my sword."

"Hmph. So you're a swordswomen?"

"Yes; anything wrong with that?" The man gave a hearty laugh, and then rested his hand on her head

"No, no. It's always good for people to have a hobby!" Ila was now fuming and pushed the hand away

"_A hobby!_" she shouted "I'm a warrior of Ba Sing Se; not some club girl!"

"Yes, yes. Whatever you say!"

"Fine then, fight me and I'll prove it!" The man went silent, and moved towards a sword rack on his right

"Are you challenging me?" he asked menacingly

"Yes" she replied. The man pulled out a sword and attacked Ila, who deftly parried it. They took the fight outside as Ila ran outside.

"Whoever is disarmed first loses, OK?" she proposed. The man nodded, and went in for his second attack.

Umikei was forced upon the school stage in front of the several hundred schoolchildren. Two large bowls of water were placed on each end of the stage. Umikei stared at the bored eyes of the earthbending children and gulped. He'd never had to consider performing on a stage before, so this was a pretty _fun_ experience. While telling himself this, he could hear a growing mumbling among the crowd.

"_Damn, I've got to start now." _He said to himself worryingly. Taking a deep breath, Umikei closed his eyes and bended the water from both bowls. He wasn't exactly sure what to do, so he was simply manipulating the water around his body. A few of the kids were interested, but the vast majority where uninterested. Umikei needed to pick it up, but had no idea how to! He froze the water into a form of ramp, ran up it and flipped off. When he touched the ground, he bent the water back and sent a large blanket of it at the kids, soaking them. They all giggled and began to clap slightly. The teacher looked a bit ticked off, so she stepped on stage. Umikei was slightly intimidated, and gulped as she spoke:

"Let's make this a bit more interesting" she said. She stamped up a boulder and launched it at Umikei, who dived out the way. She crumbled the earth under him and attempted the raise the rubble, but he bended some water and froze under his feet. He launched a stream of water at the teacher, who raised a shield of rock. Umikei bended his water into the ground and managed to sneak attack the teacher by sending some ice at her. It hit her head and she fell to one knee. She stood up quickly, and after moving her messed up hair she growled slightly. The children gasped as their teacher began an assault on Umikei. He created his 'speedy shield' and hid behind it. Panting, he launched another stream of water and as she blocked it, he sneak attacked her. As she was down, he froze the water around her, incapacitating her. The teacher smiled, and spoke:

"My, my. You are strong." She said calmly. She lifted up her hand and the ice was shattered by the rock around her. She had gone from the stern teacher to a friendly young woman, and now addressed Umikei with happiness "It's been long since my pupils and I have had that much fun. I thank you for that!" The large bun she usually sported had since dropped down, and it made her look a least 10 years younger. She seemed like a whole different woman, and it was all down to some waterbending!

The great battle of Ila and the blacksmith was still continuing, and so far neither had gained an upper hand. The fighting had moved from the weapons shop and they were now battling through the streets. Ila leapt forwards and hit the worker's sword with a strong uppercut. He reeled back slightly, but kept his footing and sword intact. He grinned as if he was having fun, and launched another assault on the young swordswoman. She fell to the floor, and rolled away from his second strike. He hit the floor and bounced back slightly; taking this moment of weakness, Ila kicked the warrior's leg out of place and leapt up, knocking his sword out of his hand. Ila jumped to her feet and grinned confidently.

"I win!" she exclaimed joyfully. The blacksmith slowly got to his feet, and then bowed respectfully.

"I am sorry if I offended you; you are indeed a great warrior."

"And don't you forget it!" she scoffed "Now, can I have that sharpening stone?" The man chuckled and handed her a large black stone.

"Here, you've earned it; it's on the house." The man said honourably "Now, will you join me for a game of Pai Sho and some tea?" Ila gladly accepted the offer and followed the man back to his shop. They had almost reached the door when a man ran to them hastily:

"Mr Zhang, Mr Zhang!" he said quickly, attempting the catch his breath futilely "Fire Nation troops, they're attacking!"

"What?!" Ila and Mr Zhang cried.

Umikei and the rest of his class had returned to their classroom, but not at all to their lessons. The teacher was engrossed in talks with Umikei about their adventures and aims, whilst the class were simply chatting and playing amongst themselves.

"You're travelling all the way to the Northern Water Tribe?!" she cried in awe "Wow! I've always wanted to visit there" Umikei replied happily, pleased to see someone so excited by their adventure.

"Well, you saw me as a waterbender, but I only found out a week ago! I need training if I'm going to get any better!"

"But you seemed so talented on stage!" the teacher exclaimed

"That was all I knew. I've kind of hit a block, and I've been unable to learn anything else…" His teacher was about to speak when a messenger burst in:

"Madam, Madam! Fire Nation troops are attacking the town!"

"What?!" Umikei and the teacher cried

A platoon of troops were attacking the town, both benders and non-benders were part of the assault. They stepped across the town's border, and then their leader spoke:

"We have come to claim this town for the Fire Nation! Either give up, or we'll take it by force!" The townspeople fled to their homes, and seemed as though no one was willing to fight, until two warriors – a large, muscled man and a teenager girl – stepped out. The man was dressed in a full suit of Earth Kingdom armour, whilst the girl was dressed in simple Earth Kingdom garbs. The man brandished his sword and called out to the leader:

"Leave this town! We will never surrender to Fire Nation scum!" The leader laughed carelessly and addressed the speaker:

"So it seems we have someone willing to fight! How cute, he thinks it'll matter." The leader took out his sword and spoke yet again: "And who's this young lady, a subordinate of yours?"

"Subordinate?!" Ila screamed, pulling out her own sword in fury "I'll show you what this _subordinate_ can really do!" Ila was about to run at the captain when a rock pillar jumped up in front of her. She looked to her left and saw a teacher and one of her students running towards her.

"Umi!" Ila cried

"My wife!" Mr Zhang shouted

"She's your wife?!" Ila and Umikei cried loudly

The four fighters stood ready against the Fire Nation platoon. Ila and Mr Zhang stood together against the non-bending warriors, and Umikei and Mrs Zhang against the benders. The leader seen unfazed by this rebellion, and confidently stood his ground. There were about 10 warriors alongside their leader. The warriors pulled out their weapons, and the benders got into a fighting stance.

"The benders are on the right, and the warriors on the left, OK?" Mrs Zhang said, silently planning her tactics.

"Ila, Mr Zhang, you two stay together and take on the warriors. We'll handle the benders." Umikei ordered. Mrs Zhang used her earthbending to move the warriors away from each other, sending Ila, Mr Zhang and the non-benders to her left, and Umikei, her and the benders to her right. Ila and Mr Zhang were seen following the non-benders further into town as Umikei and Mrs Zhang began their battle. The five benders readied themselves for an attack, but were caught off guard by the earth beneath them. It sprung up and split the group apart. Mrs Zhang began to throw boulders at the firebenders near her, knocking one of his feet and another in the face. Mrs Zhang grunted as they pulled themselves together, and managed to knock out one by firing him up via a well-placed rock pyre. Umikei was dealing with three firebenders, and has resorted to his simple dodge-then-attack tactic. One of them launched a fireball at Umikei, who spun to avoid it and then sent a large amount of water in his direction. He was thrown back and knocked out as he hit a wall and his friends launched another attack on the waterbender. Umikei set up his 'speedy shield' and then kicked the ice at the firebender. The force of the kick couple with his waterbending meant the ice flew at breakneck speeds, easily incapacitating the warrior. His friend shook in fear as Umikei froze his body with ease. Mrs Zhang had already dealt with her adversaries and they both ran to find their allies on the other end of the town.

Ila and Mr Zhang were standing back-to-back with their swords ready and the Fire Nation troops circled them. Ila suddenly leapt forwards and swung her sword at one of the warriors, Mr Zhang did the same, and managed to knock out one of them with his sword hilt. Ila managed to break the other guy's helmet and then knocked him out with a well-placed kick. The other three decided to attack at the same time, and were quickly dispatched by Ila and her muscled ally. Out from behind a house, the captain of the platoon stepped out angrily.

"Who do you think you are, peasants?!" he growled, pulling out his large sword and readying it. Ila and Mr Zhang prepared themselves for a battle, as the captain ran at them. He attacked Mr Zhang as Ila rolled aside and jumped back for another strike. The captain pushed Mr Zhang back and parried Ila with ease. Ila fell back, and only managed to block his next attack by about a second. Mr Zhang tackled the captain away from Ila and stumbled away to find his sword. Ila ran after the captain and leapt above him, striking down on the captain and pushing him to the floor. She pinned the captain to the floor and Mr Zhang tied him up with some nearby rope.

The firebenders were taken to the town prison, and the four met up at the school again. Mr and Mrs Zhang thanked Ila and Umikei for all their help, and gave them some money and supplies. They say their goodbyes and Mr Zhang gave Ila some things to keep her weapons at their best. They returned to the shop to find Nanuq sleeping in the nearby stable, all saddled up and ready to go. The saddle was large enough to carry the two of them and their supplies with ease, so Ila and Umikei loaded their things and they set out from the town. Heading west, they had a fairly short journey to the ports going to the North Pole. With that in mind, they set out with their hopes high and their heads higher!


	5. Chapter 5: Allies Lost Pt 1

The messenger travelled quickly through the Fire Nation barracks on his way to the General in charge. The barracks were training new recruits for fighting in the war, and supplying weapons and equipment for the existing soldiers. There was an air of respect for, or rather fear of, the General in charge, who was a ruthless and harsh man. The messenger, who was a lowly recruit, dodged past the training firebenders and ducked under the arrows of the archers. He had been given a message to be sent straight to General Lin, and had taken this opportunity to prove himself as a reliable soldier. Having only dropped the message twice now, he must be doing a good job!

The solider stumbled into the main tent and quickly bowed down to the General. The General slowly turned around and looked down at the boy in slight disgust. The General was renowned throughout the Fire Nation for his fighting skill and his strategizing in battle. He was a respected warrior, and there were many across the land who'd wish to find under him. He ordered the recruit to stand and give his reason for coming:

"What is it, boy? I don't have time for nonsense!" he said it his rugged, angry voice

"G-General Lin, sir! A message from the Fire Sages and another from the platoon issued to Kueiville!" General Lin snatched the scrolls from his hands, and quickly read over the Fire Sages' message:

"The Avatar has returned!" he said with a gasp. The messenger boy gasped too, and looked at the General expectedly, as if he thought the General could solve the problem himself. General Lin continued, and opened the platoon's scroll:

"The platoon we issued to Kueiville were defeated." He said angrily "Strange. We received this message after the group issued to the market town." He continued reading, and he face suddenly grew in fury:

"Those two again?!" he said, setting the scroll on fire with his bending

"I'm sorry to ask sir, but who do you mean?" The boy received a look of fury, but also an answer along with it.

"We've received several reports about two young Earth Kingdom natives causing a bit of stir among our forces; a waterbender and his warrior friend. Reports say they're headed north, but we haven't needed to deal with them; until now." The General stood up and walked out from the tent, stepping out onto the balcony:

"Platoons 3, 5 and 8: Report for duty in the front yard, now!"

Around 30 firebenders ran to the front yard, to be addressed by the General. They stood to attention almost instantly, and patiently waited for their orders. The General slowly stepped out among them intimidatingly, eyeing up each one of them equally. The soldiers seemed unfazed by his presence, having spent years in training. The General grinned to himself and then spoke to them formally:

"Gentlemen, you have been called here for a mission of upmost importance." He said "As you may know, we've sent two platoons out to capture two towns for his majesty the Fire Lord" A few of the fighters nodded and acknowledged it "Unfortunately, they both failed." A few mutters could be heard among the crowd, but were hushed out quickly

"The reason they failed, is due to two Earth Kingdom teenagers." He said seriously, although it wasn't that way. The crowd began to laugh and one spoke:

"Funny joke, sir, but seriously: why have you could us here?"

"I'm not joking" The group gasped, and fell out of attention

"A waterbender and a young warrior is ruining our plans. Deal with them." The General walked away, and left the lieutenants to brief them properly. Several rumours were going around as a result:

"They must be incredible fighters!"

"Are they trained?"

"They must be master tacticians!"

"I bet they're incredibly smart!"

"Which way do you hold the map?" Umikei and Ila were trying to find their way through a mountain range that _would_ cut a large portion from their journey north, if they could find their way. Umikei was useless and map-reading and Ila had convinced herself that her 'instincts' would lead the way; and Nanuq was being much help either! They were standing around whilst Umikei did he 'map-reading', until he finally decided on a way to go.

"Here: the entrance to the mountains. We can cut a path up from there, and be out over here. We'll only be a few miles away from port after that." He said, drawing out a route with his finger. Ila pretended to follow what he was saying, but she really had no idea. Map-reading was Umi's area, not hers; she just hit things with her sword instead.

Umikei rolled up the map and jumped on Nanuq. The saddle was easily big enough to carry the two of them plus their things, and Nanuq could easily carry more. Ila hopped on top after him and they set out quickly. Sure enough, they found the entrance to the mountains, a little alcove barely big enough to fit Nanuq through. It led into a small cave, which cut into the mountains and let them walk on the mountains themselves. The landscape was beautiful: lush trees, sprawling hills and stunning skyline. Ila and Umikei dismounted Nanuq and preferred to walk them by themselves, chatting happily as they went. The fresh air and calm atmosphere did wonders for their mood. The worries of reaching the Northern Water Tribe by summer were all but gone, and the trio finally had a chance to relax. They lay on the bright green grass and Ila began to cook lunch. Umikei was keeping Nanuq entertained with a ball of water, coaxing him to follow it before freezing it and launching it away for him to catch. He regretted it quickly when Nanuq ran back and skidded into him. Ila laughed as she served up their lunch, consisting mostly of chicken and rice. They gave Nanuq half a leg of buffalo yak, and then shared the rest between themselves.

They were having a wonderful time when they heard the sound of marching. Ila crawled onto a hill and saw a horrifying sight. A group of about 30 Fire Nation troops, following them up the mountain path!

"Damn! Umi, we've got to go!" she shouted. Ila gasped and quickly ducked under a fireball aimed at her. The troops had seen her and had started their assault. "We've got to go _now!" _Ila and Umikei leapt on top of Nanuq and spurred him on to run. Nanuq could reach incredible speeds, even with luggage and two teenagers on his back. They quickly outrun the firebenders and managed to make a large gap between them quickly.

"What were firebenders doing in these parts?" Umikei said worryingly "Were they looking for us?!"  
"No, of course not! Why would they be looking for a couple of kids?

"Yeah… yeah, you're right." Umikei replied "Good job, Nanuq!" Nanuq huffed in reply, and panted happily like he usually does.

The trio continued their trek through the mountains, attempting to forget the attack that they were put through a while ago. They were still determined to leave no tracks to follow, just as a precaution. Little did they know, messenger hawks were actually tracking them from behind, leading the firebenders to their every move. Umikei had decided that they had completely left them behind, and they were now in the clear.

"I think we can slow down now, they can't have followed us here!" he said optimistically, looking back behind them. Ila did the same, and seconded his thoughts. They dismounted Nanuq and let him drink from a nearby river. The firebenders were secretly lying in wait, but knew that attacking a waterbender next to such a large source of water was suicide, so they stayed back for the time being. The idea was to follow them to a particularly dry area, and then attack. They watched the trio walk off and slowly began to track them. They were very aware that the polar bear dog alone could wipe out their entire platoon, so they had to deal with it too. For that, they had tranquilisers and rope…

Umikei, Ila and Nanuq finally reached the outskirts of the mountain. The terrain was now dry and flowery, instead of the fairly damp landscape of the mountainside. The trio happily relaxed on the countryside, free of their worries about the Fire Nation scouts. Meanwhile, the firebenders snuck behind a nearby rock face. The sharpshooter of the group looked over the ridge, and found a clear shot of their polar bear dog. Picking up the tranquiliser, he shot it at the animal. Umikei gasped as Nanuq suddenly shot up in pain. He stepped around quickly and angrily, before passing out entirely.

"Nanuq? Nanuq!" he shouted in fear, before running over to his companion. His attempts to waken him failed, and Umikei looked back at Ila, who had already drawn her sword.

The firebenders took this opportunity to begin their assault, quickly leaping over the ridge. Two firebenders shot fireballs at Ila, who leapt out of the way quickly. She jumped at the attackers, and swung her sword in fury. Umikei wasn't used to such an attack, and was in hysterics behind her. His attempts as waterbending were sloppy and useless; his water whips barely hurt, his speedy shield could be broken easily and he was having trouble avoiding attacks. He was panicking, and Ila was being forced to carry the slack. She watched his face, his pale, fear stricken face, and knew what it meant. They had already lost.

Umikei spun around just in time for a firebender to send a swipe of fire at him. He was in the middle of bending, and as such his hands went straight into the flames. It wouldn't have affected him, if the firebender hadn't cruelly controlled the flames. His hands were burnt permanently, forever cutting off his waterbending. Umikei screamed with all his being, and Ila managed to knock out the firebender. His hands were almost falling apart, and his skin was bright red. Umikei was in agony, and screaming between his tears. Now Ila was in a panic, and was close to giving up. Suddenly everything went black, as a captain hit her in the head. Umikei was on his knees, staring at his hands as the general slowly walked over. He smirked at the boy before him:

"Waterbending. "The divine ability to halt water" he said mockingly. Umikei paid no attention, realising that he couldn't _feel_ his water anymore. He hadn't noticed the monologue given by the general before him:

"…so run boy, run. You're no problem of ours now." Umikei ran with all his might back into the mountains.

Umikei ran back into the mountains with all his power; not looking back at the horror behind him. He was searching for that river, in hope of cooling down his hands and maybe restoring his waterbending. He found the river, but his connection to it wasn't there, which just made him more scared. He pushed his hands into the water, and gritted his teeth against the pain. He still felt nothing, and he was now in tears:

"Please! Please no..!" he cried. He shut his eyes and began to weep, realising that his journey and Ila was in danger. He opened his eyes, and saw an odd sight. The water around his hands were glowing a bright blue. His hands now felt… normal? In fact, they felt better! He took his hands out, and saw that they had healed entirely. Better yet, he could _feel the water_! He quickly bended the water around his arms, and to his delight, it worked! He began to laugh, and then stuck up seriously.

"Ila, I'm coming."


	6. Chapter 6: Allies Lost Pt 2

Ila groggily woke up and slowly pulled herself up.

"I must've gotten to bed late last night. Why didn't Umi wake me?" Ila rubbed the back of her head, but cringed against a sharp pain. There was a large cut in the back of her head, with dry blood around it.

"What happened?" Ila then realised where she was; in a cage! She stood up and grabbed the bars of the cage, peeking out the small opening of its metallic wall. She saw the mountains they had come from, and Nanuq being dragged along the floor.

"Nanuq!" she whispered. She didn't want whoever caught her to know she was awake. She had no memories of the events beforehand, but she knew something had happened the Umikei. She looked back at the mountains, and swore she saw a faint blue glow…

The carriage came to a sharp stop, and Ila was threw back against the floor. She quickly pretended to sleep, as her cage door was flung open. She was dragged, and thrown out by her captors, which were quickly revealed as Fire Nation scouts. Ila was slightly blinded by the sudden light, but quickly adjusted to the sight. Ila calmly crossed her legs to sit comfortably. If she'd been captured, she sure as hell wasn't going to give them the satisfaction of being _scared. _A rather official looking man stepped out of the rather posh looking carriage. He seemed to love himself a bit too much, as seen by his smirk. He walked over to Ila and spoke:

"Stand" he demanded. Ila remained silent, which angered the captain. "You will stand when being spoken to. It shows respect, which I demand." It was Ila's turn to speak now:

"Respect is earned; you have done nothing to earn my respect." The captain looked angrily at her, and stepped away quickly, but no before dropping a leaving comment:

"We will make you answer our questions, whether you want to or not." With that, Ila was thrown back into the cage.

Umikei was sitting against a tree by the river, thinking and planning. He knew he had to get Ila back soon, or she'd be in serious danger. His concern wasn't about himself, but about how quickly he could get her. They were Fire Nation, and would have to get her back there to be dealt with, so they'd be headed to a port; _the _port, the port they were aiming to get to this whole journey. If he didn't get there in time, if he didn't _find_ her… he didn't want to think about that. Umikei needed to save this now, but he couldn't do it as is. He stood up and observed his reflection in a nearby puddle. With his mind set on saving Ila and Nanuq, his needs changed too. He looked at his outfit; it was too restricting, too strong. It was suited to an earthbender, not a waterbender like him. He forcefully ripped his sleeves apart, exposing his arms and allowing more room to move. He observed his arms, nonchalantly noticing their larger size:

"I guess I'm becoming a proper fighter" he laughed, trying to stay positive. Umikei pulled some water from the river, and used to fill his pack. It was stretched by the amount of water he forced in, but held well anyway.

"Good job, dad." Umikei then stood up and ran, this time towards his assailants.

Ila spent her time in the cage playing 'eye spy' with herself. She always won. The time seemed to go incredibly slow, and every minute felt like an hour. She tried to sleep, but the cage was cramped and uncomfortable. She had given up on escaping when she heard the locks go on; all four of them. She had just managed to relax when she heard the carriage slow down. She quickly scrambled up, and looked through the peephole. She saw what looked like the sea, and several large, ominous looking boats.

"The port! We made it! Well, I made it…" Ila sighed, sitting back. Her door was suddenly open, and her guard was at the door. He was carrying shackles, which he forced her to put on. They were rusty, and they were scratching her wrists, but she didn't complain, because she knew it wouldn't do anything. As she was bought out of the cage, she managed to overhear some things the General said to his lieutenant:

"Take her back… Lord Ozai… Water Tribe… bender… trouble" she couldn't piece together their plans, but understood _her_ situation. She was being taken to the Fire Lord, for whatever reason.

"Find me soon, Umi…"

She was taken aboard one of the large ships. They were threatening and looked horrifying, but Ila did her best not to show her fear. She needed a plan, in case Umi couldn't get to her. She looked at her guard, who was holding the key for her shackles. If she could only get to them… Before she could try and make a grab, she was bought inside the ship. She had been aboard Earth Kingdom crafts before, and they were mostly of grand design, but these were just dark and foreboding. It gave her chills, but she kept her composure. A large cell door was opened and she was sent inside. They shut the door quickly, and she was left in near darkness. She listened against the door, and heard some good news:

"We will be leaving the port in a while, gives us time for a couple games of Pai Sho" Ila sighed in relief, and lay on the wooden shelf given as a bed

"Come on, Umi. Hurry up!"

Umikei was lying on the floor panting for breath. He'd been running for a good while now, and was totally exhausted.

"I'll never get to Ila at this rate!" he said in despair. He could see the ocean in the horizon, but it was still a while off. He was about to start running again, when he heard a strange sound. It sounded like an instrument playing. Umikei spun around, and saw a very odd sight. A jolly old man playing the lute on a buffalo yak! He stopped next to Umikei and spoke happily:

"Hello, my child! What brings you to these parts?" he said

"Long story, but I'm travelling north, and my current situation means I need to get there _quickly_!" Umikei said urgently

"Why is that? One mustn't be hasty!"

"My friend's been kidnapped!" The man gasped, and his face changed from jolly delight to determination

"Why didn't you just say so?! I will take you north!" Umikei wasn't one to question a good thing, so he quickly leaped on the buffalo yak. The man spun his lute over his back, and sent the buffalo yak running. It reached incredibly speeds, almost as much as Nanuq could reach. Umikei grinned in bewilderment

"I'm coming, Ila!"

Ila was waiting in her cell patiently, when she heard a familiar growl. She looked out her cell window, and saw four guards attempting to transport Nanuq to the cargo hold. Obviously he was resisting, and they weren't making progress. One of the firebenders got angry, and created a whip of fire. Nanuq roared in fear, and reared back

"Don't you dare hurt him!" Ila shrieked, kicking the door in rage. Nanuq's ear pricked up happily, and he ran to her cell, panting joyously.

"I'm here, Nanuq, I'm here!" Ila said calming him down. She then sighed, and spoke again:

"Go with them, Nanuq… It'll be better." She said guiltily. Nanuq's ears dropped, and he began to whimper. Ila stepped back, and against all her attempts, she began to cry. In her tears, she didn't notice the sound of the engine running…

Meanwhile, Umikei and his new ally were speeding towards the port, and it was now in sight. Umikei was now laughing

"I can't thank you enough!" he said to the old man

"Don't thank me, just save your friend!" he said, his long cloak flowing in the wind majestically. Umikei nodded and they continued north. They finally reached the port, and Umikei happiness turned to dread.

"No…!" To his horror, the boat had already left port, and was now unreachable. Umikei jumped off the buffalo yak, and stared at the boat.

"I'm sorry, lad." The old man said sadly. Umikei felt an anger grow in him, a power.

"No." he said defiantly. "NO!" As in Ba Sing Se, he let his instincts take over. His fury amplified his power, and he slammed his foot down. The ocean froze in front of him, travelling to the boat. Large spikes of ice impaled the vessel from all directions, anchoring it permanently. Not even stopping to see his creation. Umikei ran along the ice and aboard the ship. The old man grinned happily, and began playing his tune again.

Ila fell to the floor as the boat shook. She stood up again, and attempted to regain her footing, but dived to the left quickly to avoid a rupturing in the boat. Suddenly, an spike of razor sharp ice pierced her cell.

"Umi?" she asked whispering to herself in joy. She heard several loud thuds and shouts above her, and what sounded like whips and water running. She then heard a loud growl, and a triumphant smash as a door was broken through. Running was then heard, and they went silent quickly. Then, louder footsteps were heard near her cell. Suddenly, a shard of ice punctured her door, and then the door ripped back, revealing a welcome sight:

"Umi! You're late!"

"Nice to see you too, Ila." He smirked at the damsel in distress "I was only here for Nanuq, but thought I might as well save you too."

"Whatever!" Ila jumped up and hugged Umikei with all her might. She then grabbed his wrists and lifted them up

"Your hands! They're healed!"

"Long story, but for now, we need to get you out of here."

The reunited trio escaped the confines of the ship and stood on the deck. They were about to jump off, when a _un_welcome sight was saw. General Lin confidently stepped out, and stood in a fighting stance.

"You won't leave this ship" he said confidently. Ila pulled out her newly returned sword, but was stopped by Umikei.

"He's mine." Ila and Nanuq stepped back respectfully as the fighters circled each other. General Lin was taking this opportunity to taunt his opponent:

"Who do you think you are, boy?" he said almost angrily "I am a high ranking member of the Fire Nation Army, and you are just a lowly Earth Kingdom waterbender. You cannot beat me." Umikei simply smiled, and kept his eyes on the general's movements. Annoyed at his lack of response, the general began his assault with a well-aimed fireball. Umikei simply stepped out of the way, and sent a small stream of water at the general. Nothing dangerous, just to make him a bit wet. The general growled in anger and his moves became sloppy, just what Umikei wanted. Umikei was reading his moves well, and confidently returning his attacks; this served to both anger and weaken the general who was now soaking wet and practically screaming in rage.

"You. Won't. Beat. Me!" He sent one last attack at Umikei, which he took as his shot against the fighter. He flipped over the low sweeping attack and sent a kick of water at the general. He fell back and hit the deck, unconscious.

The trio happily left the ship and sat on the port. Umikei stared out at the horizon, at the little icebergs that could be seen in the distance.

"There… The Northern Water Tribe is just that way!" He said pointing out towards it. "But there're no boats to take us there." Umikei stood up, and suddenly jumped off the pier.

"Umi!" Ila said running to the side. To her delight and shock, he was standing on a block of ice.

"We're going to walk North."

Nanuq ran along the ice as Umikei froze it in front of him. It was really taking it out of him, but he kept his bending going anyway. Finally, a beautiful sight was seen. A large, gleaming white wall with a large expertly cut waterbending insignia.

"We did it!" Ila shouted in joy. The trio all show their emotions but were cut short. Umikei's bending was interrupted by several other benders dotted around them. Boats were sent out to meet them, but they weren't happy.

"What is your business in these waters?!" The captain of one ship said. Umikei stood up and spoke:

"My name is Umikei of Ba Sing Se, and I am here for training in waterbending." The captain looked at the misfit trio, before sighing.

"You'll have to gain Master Pakku's favour before you can train."

They were lead into the grand city by the boatmen. It was beautiful; grand architecture, beautiful design and a stunning landscape. Umikei had already fallen in love, and Nanuq felt right at home. Some women took Nanuq away for the nearby stable, as Umikei and Ila were shown into the palace. Three people were seated in the front: Chief Arnook, Master Pakku and Princess Yue. The men looked sternly at the pair, whilst Yue greeted them happily.

"Welcome, travellers! What brings you to our great tribe?" Umikei knelt down in front of them, and spoke

"I have come to ask of your great Master for training in waterbending." Master Pakku looked at Umikei analytically, before speaking:

"And why should I teach you?" Umikei spoke in fear, too scared to meet his eyes:

"I-I have made good progress since I left Ba Sing Se, and I believe that under your tutelage I can-"

"No." Umikei's whole world came crashing down in a word. He had travelled countless miles, for a no? Master Pakku stood up and began to leave, but was interrupted.

"Please, sir. I-" Umikei said awkwardly, before starting again. "I was born in the Northern Water Tribe, but for reasons I don't know I was taken to Ba Sing Se. I was raised in the greatest earthbending city on earth, but couldn't earthbend at all. My father is a general in the army, and I was expected to live up to his reputation, but I couldn't. I was bullied mercilessly by everyone. Ila was my only real friend! I found out I was a waterbender in a fleeting moment of true happiness, travelled miles from the Earth Kingdom to come here and were almost killed by Fire Nation benders, and you just say 'no'?" Umikei looked Pakku in the eyes and stood up: "Well now it's my turn to say 'no'. I refuse to have come all this way to be turned down. I had to put my friends and an innocent old man in danger to even consider getting here! You don't deserve to say 'no'! No one, no matter how high up they are, should be allowed to say 'no'. So I'll ask again: will you teach me waterbending, or not?!" The room was in silence. Arnook was in shock, Yue close to tears and Pakku in silence. Suddenly, he smiled and spoke:

"Good, good. You have passion." He turned around and addressed him properly "I am forced by Arnook to train solider after solider with no real passion, no drive! You are the first person in a long time to go against my word, to show any real strength of spirit." He stepped down to Umikei and knelt before him "I will teach you. Lessons start at dawn tomorrow"

And with that he left.


	7. Chapter 7: Umikei's Tale pt 1

Umikei had taken to waterbending training like a duck to… well, water! Master Pakku was a harsh teacher, and let little room for mistakes, meaning that Umikei was constantly kept on his toes. Pakku had given him some small 'training' lessons before introducing Umikei to his grouped classes. Umikei wasn't sure why, but he had a feeling that he wanted to see how strong he _really_ was. Umikei had just gone through a fairly complex form when Pakku spoke out:

"Well done! You've finally gotten to grips with the basics." He said with a mocking smirk "I think I can finally introduce you to the rest of my students!" Umikei was panting on the floor as sweat dripped off his brow, but he grinned as the prospect of meeting the other students. He had seen them practise, and they seemed like great warriors and peers. Umikei pulled himself up from the ground and with a deep breath; he followed his master to the training grounds.

The training grounds were up a set of large steps cut into the ice, which could be set about the entire city! The Northern Water Tribe was beautiful; entirely cut into the landscape by talented waterbenders. The climate was cold and unforgiving, but the people here had adapted well. Master Pakku's students were sitting patiently on the ground, and looked up as their teacher approached.

"Good morning, Master Pakku!" They cried in unison, watching him step over and address them.

"Good morning, students!" he replied happily "I apologise for my delay, I was just readying our new student. Umikei, would you step over here?" Umikei happily stepped in front of the class and grinned gleefully. He was over the moon to see some waterbenders like him; they seemed like great peers and that he could learn a lot from them.

"Umikei joins us from Ba Sing Se, and I expect you all to treat him as one of our own!" Master Pakku ordered. Umikei's joy faltered as he read his peers' faces. There were no smiles, just a mixture of distaste and condescending chatter.

"Excuse me sir, but why should we waste our time with an Earth Kingdom boy?" one spoke out over the chatter. He looked to be a few years older than Umikei, and had a warrior's build. "After all, he's not one of us. Why should we welcome him?" Umikei was a little ticked off by his response, after all he'd hoped for a warm welcome.

"The 'Earth Kingdom boy' has a name." he replied through gritted teeth. The waterbender glared at Umikei, obviously unaccustomed to be spoken back to.

"So what?"

"So what? Well, I'd _prefer_ it if you used it, OK?" he asked defiantly

"You're not worth my time. I bet you can't even waterbend at all!"

"Want to try me?!" Umikei shouted

"Bring it on! I can take you!" The waterbender said, jumping up on his feet. The pair angrily took to the arena and prepared to fight.

Master Pakku had watched the affair and chuckled to himself as the events passed. The fight had confirmed his suspicions, that Umikei had that spirit he was sorely looking for. He allowed the confrontation to continue, and simply observed the outcome. Umikei had a look at his options; the area was entirely ice, and the benders here were therefore used to using the ice in combat, whereas he used regular water. He was unsure about bending ice, and was much more proficient with water itself. Umikei watched the waterbender's movements, waiting for an initial attack. Unlike his opponent, Umikei hadn't had formal training and was at a disadvantage. His opponent took the first move, bending up some ice, melting it and whipping at Umikei. Umikei flipped back, dodging the attack and then bending the ice. He was trying to send a large torrent of water, but in his haste he didn't melt the water. Instead, the ice hit his opponent and knocked him to the floor. Umikei grinned as the waterbender pulled himself up, his hair covering his face. He bent the ice beneath Umikei's feet, knocking him to the floor, and then he froze Umikei in the ice itself. He had won.

Umikei struggled against the ice, but it was no use. Umikei looked up at the waterbender in shame, who was smugly talking with his friends.

"Koda! Return to your seat!" Master Pakku ordered, making the waterbender flinch. He quickly knelt down in his place, grinning as Pakku freed Umikei. Umikei stumbled slightly as he moved again, but refused to look anyone in the eye. Pakku had already made his decision; Umikei had fought well against his strongest student, even without training, and definitely had spirit.

"You fought well, Umikei. I am pleased to see a student have that much raw talent." He said, resting a hand on the disgraced newcomer. Koda looked up in anger and jealousy; Pakku had never taken any notice of him, and he was the strongest bender of the group!

"But I-I lost." Umikei muttered in shame, noticing Koda's smile.

"You may have lost this battle, but does that mean you're going to give up?" Umikei looked at his master with a sudden determination.

"No. Never."

The next week Umikei trained with a shocking amount of determination. He trained every day and practised every night; quickly perfecting the forms he was taught, Umikei made impressive progress. While Pakku trained him the arts of waterbending, Ila was teaching him hand-to-hand combat for whenever he needed it. Umikei was happy, but he wasn't… complete. Every day he would stare at the healing tower in the distance. He remembered when his hands were practically destroyed by the firebender, and how he had managed to heal himself in the river. He managed to heal himself by instinct; shouldn't he be learning how to heal properly? Unfortunately, the Northern Water Tribe was incredibly traditional and refused to allow men to learn to heal, and women to fight. Umikei wasn't sure if he should go behind his master's back and try and heal, since he was essentially the most traditional of them all. He had tried to forget about his ability, but found that it just made his longing stronger.

Umikei was in one of his training sessions when he was caught staring at the tower:

"Umikei, concentrate!" Pakku shouted, tripping him up with some ice to prove his point. Umikei rubbed his head as sat back up, put then put his hands together respectfully

"Sorry, Master Pakku!" he replied. Pakku noticed that something was wrong and therefore decided to cut their lesson short.

"Umikei, take the rest of the day off." He said nonchalantly, looking back to the rest of the students. Umikei didn't argue, because he liked his head attached to his body, and quickly took off. He was looking for Ila for some combat training, but couldn't seem to find her anywhere. Nanuq was missing too, and Umikei was stuck for something to do. He decided to go back to their house near the palace.

The Water Tribe had given them a temporary house in the city. It looked like a very high-class one, and was decorated beautifully. Somehow, the house was always warm, even in the cold nights, and the beds were comfortable and felt better than the ones back home. Umikei sat on his bed and contemplated what to do. From his window, the healing tower could be seen. Umikei stared at it entranced, trying to choose between risking everything to learn something that might be impossible, or just forget about it. After a while, Umikei plucked up all his courage and walked to the tower. As he walked, his vision flicked between his class training and the tower waiting in the distance.

"_What are you doing, Umikei?" _he asked himself _"If this goes wrong you could ruin everything!"_

The healing tower was tucked away near the mountains surrounding the Northern Water Tribe. Waterbending women are known for their powerful healing abilities, and respected world-wide for it. The Northern Water Tribe refused to let women learn to fight, so would they go against him? Umikei reached the tower before he even noticed and he was only more scared. He snuck up to the entrance and peeked around the corner. It looked as though a class was in session but it was only young girls, no older than 8. The teacher was a little old lady, who was sitting smiling by an intricately carved mannequin. She was directing water through these carvings, speaking softly to her pupils as she did. Her students seemed engrossed in the subject, gasping and laughing along with her words. Umikei watched intently, unaware that several of the pupils had noticed him. The teacher did too, but simply smiled to herself and continued her teaching. Umikei stared at her the entire lesson, and quickly hid as the girls ran out. Umikei looked around the corner again, but this time at the mannequin. He had no idea what it was for but felt as though he should.

"Interested?"

Umikei practically jumped out of his skin as the teacher stepped out. She was drying her hands with a towel and grinned at Umikei's reaction.

"I'm sorry to have startled you." She said, casually placing the towel on a nearby table

"Uh N-no. It's fine, I was just-"Umikei blurted out, being cut off by the teacher mid-sentence

"Yes, what exactly _were_ you doing?" she asked calmly, raising an eyebrow

"Well, I- I was- I was just-" Umikei mumbled, stumbling over his words clumsily before sighing and taking a breath "My name is Umikei of Ba Sing Se, and I am under the tutelage of Master Pakku of the Northern Water Tribe. I am here-" he began, hesitating before reaching his point "-and I am here to ask that you teach me to heal". The teacher looked at Umikei intently, as if she was reading him.

"Why? Why do you want to heal? The men of this tribe fight, the women heal; that is the way it had been for hundreds of years. If I were to train you, you would go against everything this tribe is built on. And why should I train you? I have no reason to, you're just some boy!" Umikei was shocked at the response, not having expected so many questions.

"Wh-when I was travelling here, me and my friends were ambushed by the Fire Nation. I wasn't trained, I- I panicked. My hands were burnt by a firebender, to the point where they just- weren't hands." Umikei recalled, staring at his hands as he spoke "They were destroyed; I couldn't bend, I couldn't think, so I ran. I ran away, and found a river. I put my hands in, and well… they healed! I didn't know what I did, or if I _did_ anything, but… they healed. I thought that if I could do that, then I must be a healer, and that I should learn to do it properly." The healer took in what he just said, and thought it over, before addressing the boy:

"Healing is a skill given to waterbenders by the moon spirit, along with waterbending itself. Any waterbender can use this ability, but there are those who can heal instinctively… and it seems as though you are one of these benders. I have never heard of such strength in the art being instinctual, and I understand why you wouldn't want to leave it." She explained, taking his hands and looking at them. She then looked up at him and stood back "Fine, I will train you."

Umikei was now juggling waterbending, combat and healing training every day, but was enjoying himself more then he'd ever expected. Healing came to Umikei naturally; he could already heal grievous injuries and was making progress fast. Umikei had grown into a powerful waterbender, and Ila was impressed.

Unfortunately, all good things come to an end.


End file.
